Doctor insights on:
Bacterial Meningitis Infant

1

Neonatal meningitis:
Ecoli and group b streptococcus are the two most common causes of meningitis in infants. Women are now screened during pregnancy to see if they are carriers and if a women is screen positive she is give antibacterial agents during delivery to prevent infection in her baby and herself. Less commonly, staphylococcus, enterococcus & listeria occur. Neisseria meningitis (seen in adults) is rare.
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Meningitis occurs when the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord becomes inflamed. Symptoms include headaches, fever, stiff neck, and a sensitivity to light. There are two primary types of meningitis: bacterial and viral.
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3

Very good:
Survival is not really the issue. Survival without permanent damage is the major goal. When meningitis is suspected, aggressive treatment is quite effective most of the time. However, many of these children will be left with permanent neurological problems. We are getting better at limiting these problems.
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4

Potentially fatal:
Although we have seen a great reduction of the bacterial meningitis frequency in the us since the introduction of the hib vaccine in the '90's, bacterial meningitis does still occur and may be devastating.It is more common in unvaccinated populations & includes several agents.The case fatality & complication rate varies with the germ and how quickly treatment is started.
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5

Yes:
Although it is thankfully rare, it can be life threatening. Generally a baby with meningitis will be extremely ill. Obviously, if you ever have such a concern, have your baby evaluated immediately.
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8

Yes:
Most are initially treated with several different antibiotics at high doses until lab data shows which med would do the best job acting alone. Early diagnosis & treatment permit the best outcome. There is a risk of complications in all which very with the type of germ & speed of detection and treatment.
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10

Bacterial meningitis:
Bacterial meningitis is usually severe. While most people with meningitis recover, it can cause serious complications, such as brain damage, hearing loss, or learning disabilities.
There are several pathogens (types of germs) that can cause bacterial meningitis. Some of the leading causes of bacterial meningitis in the United States include haemophilus influenzae (most often caused by type b, hib).
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Bacterial meningitis can be a life-threatening illness that results from bacterial infection of the meninges (membrane covering the brain) and leaves some survivors with significant sequelae.
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